Field of Invention
The present invention relates to optical adapters, in particular optical adapters for mobile devices with still or video cameras.
Description of Prior Art
There is often a need or want to see the people we telecommunicate with. This allows us to see facial expressions, perform a show and tell, make presentations, etc., as if we were physically present. Visual mobile telecommunication is just emerging as a practical reality.
Videoconferencing adds a visual component to telecommunication and is becoming more popular especially with the current focus on global warming and the high cost of travel. Travel for face-to-face meetings is expensive, as well as bad for the environment. Conventionally, videoconferencing is performed using specialized hardware and software or via personal computers. This equipment is not easily portable or mobile. People are often confined to the rooms permanently supporting the videoconferencing equipment or the network required for the telecommunication.
Mobile devices with digital cameras, such as various cell phones, Blackberry, iPhone, iTouch, or other iPhone-like devices have processors that execute computer programs. The programs respond to user input from various buttons or touch displays, handle networking, capture and play audio, capture and display digital images, including video, and perform other functions.
Conventional wired phones and cellular phones allow us to telecommunicate, but contain no visual component. Cell phones and cell phone use is globally ubiquitous these days. Almost everyone has a cell phone and cell phone networks are found throughout the world.
Research in Motion created the Blackberry, the first real business oriented mobile phone with e-mail, web browsing, etc. The Blackberry helped pave the way for high speed broadband mobile networks.
The iPhone and iTouch have a wireless network connection to the Internet.
With the iPhone, Apple Computers has revolutionized mobile phones. With a large touch screen and a slick, graphic rich interface, the iPhone sets the trend for mobile phones of the future. However, videoconferencing has not been commercially available for mobile phones, including the iPhone. One reason videoconferencing is not available on the iPhone, or other cell phones, is that the camera is on the back and so the users cannot see the screen while creating a video image of themselves.
Likewise, because the camera is on the back, users cannot take still pictures or videos of themselves, or people or other objects behind them. Video streams are comprised of a plurality of video frames.
What is needed is a portable, mobile, lightweight, removable, low cost, easy to manufacture, easy to ship, easy to transport, easy to store, and easy to use device that provides an effective means of videoconferencing over a mobile phone, such as the iPhone or other mobile devices with cameras which are not on the same side as the display.